The Rock hasn't cared about a single Donkey Kong game in 44 years because "none of them matter" – it's all about the arcade original that put Nintendo on the map

Donkey Kong Bananza DK screaming as the purple rock comes to life — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson might not be actively wrestling these days, but that doesn't mean he's not still an expert at getting heat even when cutting micro-sized promos. The Hollywood star has just revealed two of his favorite video games of all time, and while one is probably about what you'd expect, the other is sure to annoy those who grew up with Donkey Kong Country and are now clamoring for Donkey Kong Bananza's GOTY award.

During the promotional tour for The Smashing Machine, Johnson's new film, IGN asked him about his favorite video game of all time. "Oh, man," Johnson says after a moment's consideration. "I gotta go with Madden, if it's at home." A perfectly acceptable answer for somebody whose primary hobby isn't gaming.

"Stand up?" Johnson continues, thinking back to the arcades of his own youth. "Donkey Kong." A 1981 arcade classic, and the title that established Nintendo's legacy as a video game publisher. Another fine choice.

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Turns out The Smashing Machine star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson only recognizes the original Donkey Kong game: pic.twitter.com/lNIxssRw9IOctober 2, 2025

But here's the cheap heat for Nintendo fans: Johnson adds that he hasn't played any other Donkey Kong games because "none of them matter." Donkey Kong Country? DK64? Diddy Kong Racing? Donkey Kong Banza? That's right – you can turn those all sideways and shove them straight up your candy ass.

Rocky delivers that line with a smile, so he's certainly not entirely serious – but equally, I'm guessing he probably genuinely does not care about whatever your favorite Donkey Kong game is. That's okay, Dawyne. Cena was always better anyway.

There's a reason Bananza tops our list of the best Switch 2 games.

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.